McCAFFERY: Eagles' enthusiasm marks first victory of young season

PHILADELPHIA -- Even with all of the measurables in football, a sport ultimately based on nothing else, there is no way to gauge what Michael Vick saw, felt and heard the other day at the NovaCare Complex. Mostly, heard.

There is no way to measure the enthusiasm that defined the Eagles' first practice of the minicamp season --- the first official step toward where they want to go but never do. There was no way to declare that the yelling was louder, the coaching more acute, the speed at a peak, the competition between offense and defense more intensely healthy.

There is no way to conclude that, yes, the Eagles are more passionate than in many, many years this summer, for who is to say, anyway, that Bill Bergey wasn't as passionate, or Jerome Brown, or Brian Dawkins? So, it was left to the trained ear to declare that there was something more lively this year than in too many others.

And Vick's ear was as handy a place as any to start.

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"There's a lot of energy, man --- a lot of energy," the Birds' quarterback was saying, breaking into a smile, recognizing that something was just a little different this time. "As a football team, we are very confident."

It has been close to three decades since the Eagles were not confident. From Buddy Ryan ripping the Cowboys at West Chester, to Reggie White predicting titles, to Randall Cunningham posing as football's ultimate weapon, to Donovan McNabb forecasting skyrocketing, to Jeffrey Lurie supplying an inside-football commentary as it might relate to the strength of precious metals, that's what the Eagles do: They make themselves believe that the rest of the NFL is there only to provide a game-day foil.

But there was something that cannot be measured at minicamp this year, and it wasn't just because rain had pushed the workout indoors, elevating the decibel levels. The Eagles were loud, enthusiastic, happy. Even when they met at the end of practice in a huddle to thrust their helmets in the air and shout "One, two, three ... Birds!" like a high school team might, it seemed to be with a battle-cry enthusiasm, not a through-the-motions obligation.

"We understand that in order to go out and play good football, you've got to be relaxed," Vick said. "You've got to have fun with it. Although we know it's our job, you have got to be at peace while you are playing. Even though it is a tough game, that's why we play it. That's why we are professional players. We should be able to create that balance."

That's the Eagles' chore this time --- to embrace the opportunity to be champions. That could have happened last year, but the Birds started slow, had some injuries, sputtered with a trainee defensive coordinator and started to play good football after it was too late to matter.

They have lost Jason Peters to injury since then, but otherwise not only improved but made certain to give the nucleus another honest try, re-signing DeSean Jackson and strengthening their commitment to LeSean McCoy. Vick should benefit from his first labor-strife-free offseason as the starter. The franchise, it was said, drafted smartly.

So ... maybe.

And maybe that's why they were so bubbly last week, so alive, so crisp so early. They seem to know that at some point, it all will matter.

"It's very important to take this as seriously as possible," Vick said. "We have to get the most out of this and continue to get better each and every day. Nothing has really changed since the OTAs, but the intensity has picked up. The defense played well. The offense did a good job. So we are just learning."

The New York Giants won the last Super Bowl, and oddly enough, the topic of their first minicamp practice somehow was lost in the bubbly postgame discussion. By then, the scoreboard had done all the necessary measuring. For now, the Eagles can be measured by their enthusiasm. Consider them 1-0.